


Everything Leads to Everything

by chainsawdog



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, Fix-It, Multi, Stanley Uris Lives, Stanley is also brave enough
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-01-03 11:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21178736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chainsawdog/pseuds/chainsawdog
Summary: Choices can change the course of any story. Maybe in a world like this one, seven is still the magic number. Roses might not be able to sing, but here, at least, the offence of fear can be put to rest.This takes place over the course of events in IT Chapter 2 with minor influence from the novel.





	1. Richie Makes a Call

Richie sat in his car, staring at his phone. Mike had called, told him to be in Derry “by tomorrow,” Richie had thrown up and nearly bombed his stand-up performance. Now night had fallen, and Richie hadn’t left the backlot behind the theatre after finishing his routine. He was staring at his phone, at the Google search he’d pulled up, the phone number he wanted to call.  
  
‘Nah,’ he said quietly, for the fifth time. ‘It’ll be shut, no-one will answer, he’s not…’ Richie chuckled derisively. ‘Like he’d want to hear from you anyway.’  
  
He shook his head, then hit call. The phone rang a couple of times, and then… went to voicemail.  
  
Richie hung up immediately. There was no one in his life to ask him why he’d called a risk assessment business and with any luck they wouldn’t call back during business hours.  
  
Richie continued to stare at his phone.  
  
Then;

  
  


11:00pm: hey mike its me richie whats up you wouldnt hapeen to have everyones numbers

  
  


11:02pm: I do, Rich, you want anyone in particular? We’ll all see each other tomorrow anyway. 

  
  


11:30pm: could u sent them all thru just in case thx

  
  


Mike sent Richie the list of phone numbers, and Richie’s eyes widened. Beverly Marsh, Ben Hanscom, Bill fucking Denborough, Stanley Uris, and Eddie Kaspbrak. Now Mike had called, had said “Derry,” Richie couldn’t believe that he’d ever forgotten any of them. He remembered taking a smoke with Bev after class, fighting with Eddie, going to Stan’s Bar Mitzvah. Bill punching him in the face. A rock war against… that bully – Bowers? to save Mike’s ass.  
  
His thumb hovered over Eddie’s number, and he tapped it. The phone asked if he wanted to actually call the number, and he hit call, and put it to his ear, heart thudding so hard he thought he might throw up again.  
  
It rang; once, twice.  
  
‘He’s not gonna pick up, Trashmouth,’ Richie was saying, just as a tired voice at the other end of the line said, ‘Hello, Edward Kaspbrak speaking.’  
  
There was a brief silence, then Eddie said; ‘Trashmouth? R-Richie?’  
  
Richie’s mouth hung open. His voice had changed dramatically, but it was Eddie. ‘H-hey,’ he stammered, his voice hoarse. ‘What’s up, Spaghetti?’  
  
‘It’s late as hell, man, why are you calling? Mike already asked me to come back to Derry, I don’t need you riding me about it too.’  
  
Richie chuckled, ‘Your m –’  
  
‘Richie fucking Tozier if you make a fucking “your mom” joke right now I will reach through this phone and choke you to death.’  
  
Richie closed his eyes, and realised he was crying. ‘What a way to say hi to your best friend,’ he said.  
  
There was a silence, then Eddie said, ‘Seriously though, why are you calling? Are you okay?’  
  
Richie shook his head. ‘Yeah, man, I just… look, how far are you from Chicago?’  
  
‘It’s like, 1am, Rich,’ Eddie replied. ‘What, you want me to just catch a flight? We’d have to drive to Maine anyway, honestly if you came to New York it’d be – wait, why?’  
  
‘Can you meet me at the airport?’ Richie asked. ‘If I leave now, get tickets… I’ll be there at like 7am or something. Probably. C’mon, man, then we can drive down together.’ He crossed his fingers. ‘Wouldn’t it be safer to share the drive anyway?’  
  
A longer silence followed this, and Richie thought he’d hear the dial tone that said Eddie had hung up on him.  
  
‘Okay,’ Eddie said, and Richie’s heart leapt into his throat. ‘Yeah, just text me the details of whatever flight you catch, I’ll – yeah I’ll pick you up from the airport, Rich, sure.’


	2. Stanley Gets a Call

Stanley climbed into the bathtub. He could barely feel the water, despite the heat, and his head was spinning. The razor was within reach, and Stanley whispered; ‘I swear, Bill.’  
  
Then his phone rang.  
  
Stanley sat up. He looked at the number; it wasn’t in his phone, but he answered it anyway.  
  
‘Stan Uris speaking,’ he said faintly.  
  
‘Holy shit,’ said the voice on the other end. ‘Holy shit, Stan the Man. No fucking way.’  
  
Stanley frowned. ‘Richie?’ he asked.  
  
‘Yeah, dude,’ Richie said. ‘Wait – how did you guess that – actually, never mind. Look. I’m at the airport and I’m flying to New York to meet up with Eddie, but, like, Mike gave me everyone’s numbers and I thought, while I wait for my flight to leave why not try calling everyone?’  
  
Stanley glanced at the razor, which had seemed like his only option a moment ago. Now, hearing his old friend’s voice, he wasn’t so sure.  
  
‘So we’re gonna see you soon, yeah?’ asked Richie. ‘Look, if Eddie’s willing to pick me up from the airport he’s probably gonna be cool to pick you up too. Where are you living these days, anyway?’  
  
‘A-Atlanta,’ Stanley managed.  
  
‘Shit, dude, that’s ages away. Yeah, come on, meet us in New York. We can all drive down to Derry together.’  
  
Stanley stared at the wall.  
  
‘Stan?’ Richie asked. ‘C’mon. We all want to see you.’  
  
‘Richie, what do you remember?’ Stanley asked faintly.  
  
‘I… I mean, not much, Urine, but I’m sure it’ll all come back when we’re in Derry, right?’ There was a weird sound from the phone, then Richie added, ‘I kind of don’t want to go the fuck back but aren’t you gonna hear Mike out?’ A small pause, and then, ‘I really wanna see you again, Stan the Man.’  
  
Stanley burst into tears.  
  
‘Shit, dude, are you crying?’ Richie asked, as if his voice didn’t give away the fact he was crying too. ‘Ah, fuck, Stan. My flight’s boarding. I have to go. Promise me you’ll meet us in Derry, dude.’  
  
‘I –’  
  
‘Stan, fucking promise or I’ll come to Atlanta and – I dunno. I’m counting on you.’  
  
‘I promise, Richie,’ Stanley said, so quietly he wasn’t sure that Richie would hear him. ‘I’ll meet you in Derry.’  
  
‘Thank fucking god, dude,’ said Richie. ‘Wait – shit, should I have like, censored myself or something?’  
  
Stanley laughed; he actually laughed. ‘Rich, it’s fine, you can say His name. I don’t mind.’  
  
‘All right, the flight attendants are glaring at me for trying to board while on the phone so I gotta hang up. See you soon, dude.’  
  
‘See you later, Trashmouth,’ Stanley replied.


	3. Chance Meeting

Eddie drove through the pouring rain, wondering why the hell he was doing this. He’d told Myra he was going straight to Derry, but hadn’t told her about the stop at the airport, because for some reason he didn’t want her to know about Richie. That hadn't stopped him from leaving those papers on the kitchen counter. His headlights outlined some poor woman walking in the heavy rain, and he slowed down.  
  
There was a moment as he rolled down his window where Eddie was sure he was gonna get the police called on him for being a creep, but he called out to her anyway.  
  
‘Hey lady!’ he shouted, and winced. ‘I mean, Miss!’  
  
The woman stuck her finger up at him. He pulled over on the curb, jumped out of the car, and ran after her.  
  
‘Sorry, fuck, it’s cold,’ he said, jogging to catch up. ‘Miss, are you all right?’  
  
‘I’m fine,’ she replied.  
  
Eddie frowned. ‘Do I know you?’ he asked.  
  
That made her stop, and turn to look at him. That red hair… those fierce eyes…  
  
‘No fucking way,’ Eddie said, raising his hands in disbelief. ‘Molly Ringwald?’  
  
The woman glared at him, and then her eyes widened. ‘Holy… Eddie? Eddie Kaspbrak?’  
  
‘I’m not – yeah, no, Eddie, sorry I called you that, Beverly? No fucking way, Beverly Marsh! Why the hell are you out here in this rain, Bev, are you walking to the goddamned airport?’  
  
Beverly smiled. ‘I don’t have a ride,’ she said quietly.  
  
‘Well, get the fuck in my car then,’ said Eddie. Then he took a step back. ‘I mean, I’ll give you a lift – there aren’t any direct flights to Derry, Bev, I’m driving.’  
  
Beverly shrugged. ‘Okay,’ she said.  
  
‘Where do you live?’ Eddie asked, as they headed back to his car. ‘I mean, you – what, you don’t have any luggage, I don’t –’  
  
‘I’m not going – I’m not going back home,’ she said. Beverly gestured at the backpack slung over her shoulder. ‘This is enough.’  
  
‘Yeah, okay,’ said Eddie. He opened the car door for her, waving one hand. ‘Sorry I don’t have any towels, we’ll get some, uh… there’s probably a shop or something at the airport, I don’t want you to catch a cold.’  
  
Beverly laughed. Eddie shut her door and moved to the driver’s side. He was soaking wet, now, and could feel a tickle in the back of his throat. He told himself there was no way he was getting sick already, but there was a louder voice telling him he had the flu.  
  
‘You said the airport,’ Beverly said, as he pulled back onto the road.  
  
‘Oh, yeah,’ said Eddie, frowning at the road and honking his horn. ‘God, people are so fucking stupid in wet weather.’  
  
Beverly smiled. ‘You haven’t changed, have you?’  
  
‘W-what?’ Eddie glanced at her, then back to the road.  
  
‘Same old Eddie,’ Beverly said quietly. ‘It’s not a bad thing. Why are we going to the airport? You said there were no flights to Derry.’  
  
‘Um,’ Eddie’s shoulders sagged. ‘Well, you know, I got a call from, um, well we’re meeting – we’re meeting at the airport.’  
  
Beverly studied Eddie’s face, and was kind enough not to ask why it was so red. ‘Meeting who?’ she asked.  
  
‘R-Richie,’ Eddie stammered. ‘He, uh, he called me at like, one in the morning. Said he was flying to New York and we were – we could drive down to Derry together, share the drive, you know? It’s safer that way, it’ll reduce the risk of micro-sleeps and crashing and stuff.’  
  
Beverly smiled gently. ‘I should have guessed,’ she said. She leaned back in her seat, hoping the heating in the car would dry her a bit.  
  
‘Why would you – why should you have guessed that?’ Eddie asked sharply, glancing at Bev once again. The car swerved slightly, but Eddie kept it on the road.  
  
Beverly shrugged. ‘You and him were always close,’ she said. ‘Of course he called you.’  
  
Eddie frowned. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Sure.’


	4. Airport Reunion

Richie paced at the baggage carousel, thoroughly irritating the other passengers of his flight. Eventually he saw his bag, and grabbed it roughly, throwing it to the ground and walking through the rest of the airport as quickly as he could without breaking into a run, bag skidding behind him on wheels. There was a crowd at the gate, and Richie scanned the faces, his palms and forehead sweaty, his heart thudding erratically. What the fuck was wrong with him? He was just meeting with Eddie, his best friend from childhood, there wasn’t anything to be nervous about. They were just going to drive several hours in the same car back to the town they’d both been desperate to get away from as children. All because of a promise they’d made to Bill.  
  
‘Richie!’ a woman waved at him, and it took Richie a second to figure out how she knew him.  
  
‘Moth-er-fuck-er,’ Richie said, pushing his way through the crowd towards her. ‘Beverly fucking Marsh, how the hell are you?’  
  
She pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly and grabbing the back of his jacket. She pressed her forehead against his chest, and he put his hand on her back. She then stepped back, and straightened his shirt for him.  
  
‘Long time, no see, Trashmouth,’ Beverly said with a grin.  
  
‘Not to sour the reunion but, I thought Eds was coming to pick me up,’said Richie, searching for a hopefully familiar face.  
  
Beverly laughed. ‘Oh, he’s here,’ she said. ‘He’s getting cold and flu medicine from the pharmacy.’  
  
Richie rolled his eyes. ‘Of course he is,’ he said, but he smiled. ‘Might as well meet him there.’  
  
Beverly linked arms with Richie, and together they made their way to the airport pharmacy. Richie heard Eddie’s voice before he saw him; he was in an argument with the pharmacist, from the sound of things.  
  
Beverly let go of Richie’s arm and looked at him. ‘You’re the only one who can stop him,’ she said with a smile. She patted Richie’s arm, and pushed him gently forward.  
  
Richie’s feet carried him into the pharmacy, and he followed the sound of the familiar rapid-fire bitching. Eddie came into view, waving his hands about as a young pharmacist stared at him, wide-eyed.  
  
Richie’s mouth took over, and he shouted, ‘Jesus Christ, Kaspbrak, the only pill you need is a chill pill.’  
  
Eddie froze, and turned around to look at Richie. His huge eyes widened, and he dropped the packet of painkillers he’d been shaking at the pharmacist. Behind him, the pharmacist slipped away, a grateful look on his face.  
  
‘Oh, that’s how you say hi, Richie?’ Eddie snapped back. He stormed over to Richie, and Richie couldn’t help but notice he was a head taller than Eddie. ‘Twenty-seven fucking years and the first time we see each other you yell at me in a fucking airport pharmacy?’  
  
Richie couldn’t help grinning, and then he was laughing, and Eddie looked even more indignant. Richie put a hand on Eddie’s shoulder, doubling over with laughter, and then he pulled Eddie into a hug.  
  
‘Hey, Eds,’ Richie said softly.  
  
Eddie’s arms hung at his side. ‘Don’t call me Eds,’ he said, his voice muffled against Richie’s chest. The heat of his breath against Richie’s body made something in his stomach twist, and Richie ended the hug.  
  
‘Sorry. Eddie.’ he said. With a grin, he added, ‘Savour that apology, buddy, it’s the only one you’re gonna get.’  
  
Eddie’s shoulders relaxed, and for a moment all he did was stare at Richie.  
  
‘Dude,’ said Richie. ‘Beverly’s waiting. What – why are you…’  
  
Eddie had inched closer to Richie, staring up into his face. Then he shook his head. ‘I just can’t believe it’s really you, man,’ he said. He took Richie’s hand from his shoulder, and pushed it away. ‘How the fuck did we forget…?’  
  
Richie shrugged. ‘I’m sure Mike has answers,’ he said. ‘Might as well head straight to Derry, huh? You’re all packed?’  
  
Eddie nodded. ‘Uh, yeah, yeah, let’s go.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the huge delay I forgot I was writing this. I had a lot on my plate lately (probably not surprising, considering the state of the world) and it only occurred to me today that I was still writing this story.


End file.
